National Public Radio is still in hot pursuit of the supposed sins of GOP Islamophobia, while anti-semitism from Muslim Democrats is never news. NPR made not just one but two stories out of Barbara Sprunt’s reporting, which consisted of her acting horrified about Republicans saying mean things about Islam without being punished.
The first story aired March 13 on All Things Considered: “Unlike past eras, anti-Muslim GOP rhetoric draws little pushback from party leaders.” Yes, the good old days when Republican leadership called out offensive comments by Republicans – and got no credit for it from the elitist media, which still called every Republican presidential candidate a racist.
AILSA CHANG, HOST: In recent days, several Republican lawmakers have drawn condemnation for using anti-Muslim rhetoric. It's not the first time that the party has had to confront hateful language from within its own ranks, but unlike in past political eras, these comments have faced little pushback from Republican leaders. NPR congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt joins us now….let's start with this tweet from Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles. This was from earlier this week, right? He posted, quote, "Muslims don't belong in American society."
NPR doesn't care if antisemitic comments from Democrats like Rep. Ilhan Omar receive "little pushback from Democrat leaders." Being Muslim means you're "marginalized," so you're in a different rule book. Sprunt went on to say:
SPRUNT: ….There's been a lot of posts about Sharia Law. There's a Sharia-free America Caucus that now has 50 Republican members. Sharia refers to rules devout Muslims follow in life, like praying five times a day, avoiding pork. It's a religious framework, not a plan to replace the Constitution. And if you listen to the rest of what Johnson said, he added that this isn't about Muslims as people. But critics say by framing this answer around Sharia law, it gives cover for bigoted language.
They then discussed, without context, comments by Florida Congressman Randy Fine, who recently tweeted "we need more Islamophobia, not less."
Previously, in February, Fine had shared an X screenshot from pro-Hamas Muslim activist Nerdeen Kiswani: "Finally, NYC is coming to Islam. Dogs definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets. Like we’ve said all along, they are unclean."
Fine’s initial response: "If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one." (To be fair, many folks prefer dogs over any kind of human, no matter what religion.) None of that context made NPR.
Sprunt barely admitted any reason for the outbursts, finally admitting that Fine and other Republicans “have pointed to a string of recent attacks in New York and Virginia, each involving suspects who, according to authorities, were either inspired by ISIS or had supported the group in the past….”
NPR wasn’t done with Sprunt, running the exact same story and including a separate full text version online the next day, March 14, on Morning Edition: “House GOP leadership silent as more members post anti-Muslim statements.” That makes two bites of the wormy “Islamophobia” apple.
Bringing up the Ogles quotes again, Sprunt spoke to Sabina Mohyuddin, executive director of the American Muslim Advisory Council in Tennessee.
"We know this kind of rhetoric leads to more bullying in school, discrimination in the workplace, hate crimes and vandalism against mosques," Mohyuddin said. "But it is an election year and these politicians believe if they spew this hateful rhetoric, they are going to get more votes."
NPR has been more aggressive in covering hurtful words than in actual violent anti-Semitic acts, or anti-Semitism spouted Democrats like Ilham Omar (D-MN), who are instead celebrated on NPR no matter what their offensive rhetoric.
Sprunt concluded harshly, forwarding insults of Republican congressmen from partisan Democrats, in order to make clear what NPR wants readers to think of Republicans.
"We already know that Randy Fine and Tommy Tuberville are vile bigots," wrote Katherine Clarke, House Democratic whip. "But what's even worse is the silence from GOP leadership."
